The Federal Railroad Administration and Texas Department of Transportation have released 10 service and route options for high-speed passenger rail service that could connect San Antonio with Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Laredo and Oklahoma City, according to U.S. Rep. Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

Those options were evaluated as part of the Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or DEIS. Cuellar said the release of routes represents a key step forward on a project he has pushed since 2008.

Cuellar said this is a "critical step forward" for high-speed rail that could link major trade centers in San Antonio and South Texas with other points to the north.

"It’s important the public take this opportunity to express their opinion on the project," Cuellar said, when asked what comes next.

The Tier 1 study evaluated the feasibility of developing passenger rail service for the 850-mile stretch connecting Oklahoma City with South Texas. The intent of the study was to identify routes that could meet future intercity travel demands, improve rail facilities, reduce travel times and improve connections with regional public transit service.

This DEIS took into account the potential effects establishing such passenger rail service could have on environmental, economic, and social resources, as well as its impact on travel demand and transportation. Based on that analyses TxDOT selected preferred routes and service types, including conventional rail, higher-speed rail, or high-speed rail, for each geographic section.

Two potential South Texas routes were selected for further study, according to Cuellar. The first would originate in San Antonio and travel south outside of existing transportation corridors to a station near the Laredo-Columbia Solidarity Bridge. That route would then cross on a new railway bridge to join a new rail line which would continue to Monterrey, Mexico.

Cuellar said that route would have the potential for high-speed rail service, with trains traveling at speeds of 180 to 220 miles per hour.

The second route would begin in San Antonio and travel southeast to Alice. At Alice, the route would divide into three legs. The first leg would travel to San Diego, Texas and then to the Laredo area. The second leg would travel south along abandoned railroad tracks to McAllen and east to Harlingen and Brownsville, while the third would travel east along the KCS Railway to Corpus Christi.